After finishing their snacks from the food stalls, Miku and the others returned home without making any detours.
“We’re home!”
As they entered their rooms as usual, they were stopped.
“Wait, you three. Wait just a moment.”
Colette, with a troubled expression and looking quite angry, was the one who stopped Miku and the others.
Seeing Colette’s expression, Seiya and Shia, though not showing it outwardly, were already inwardly intimidated.
“We’re home, Mother. Did something happen?”
“Everything was normal today, just like any other day.”
To Seiya and Shia’s words, Colette gave a smug expression.
“You know, if you’re going to hide something, you should do it better… So? Where did you go to eat?”
Colette’s direct accusation prompted Seiya and Shia to try and resist.
“Wh-what are you talking about…”
“Th-that’s right! It’s a false accusation!”
Miku had already given up on hiding anything, but as an accomplice, she couldn’t betray Seiya and Shia and remained silent. However, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at Seiya and Shia’s weak excuses. *They’re not fooling her at all.* She thought, but of course, she didn’t voice it.
Miku wasn’t the only one thinking that; Colette felt the same way.
“You two… *Sigh*. Forget it. I’ve lost the will to be angry.”
Colette sighed deeply and said to Seiya and Shia, “From now on, if you’re going to keep secrets, make sure you tell the spirits beforehand.”
“Ehh…!?” For those who could see spirits like Colette, being pointed out that they failed from the very beginning made Seiya and Shia look defeated. Colette, sighing in exasperation at the two of them again, waved her hand dismissively, urging them to go.
Miku, finding the exchange between Colette and the others to be a familiar scene, looked at Colette and asked, “Colette, Mother. Don’t you know?” When an outsider heard it, it sounded confusing, but when Miku said “Mother,” she was referring to Peach. Colette, accustomed to this way of speaking, answered without hesitation.
“Peach is in the Management Layer today. Is something wrong?” Colette asked, her voice slightly lowered, noticing that Miku’s demeanor was slightly different from usual. She immediately realized that Miku hadn’t told Seiya and Shia anything.
While impressed by Colette’s perceptiveness, Miku hesitated for a moment before nodding. She hadn’t told Seiya and Shia, but she decided it would be better to properly inform Colette.
“…I see. In that case, you might need to go directly to the Management Layer. Kousuke seems to be there today too.” Kousuke had been going back and forth between the House of Genesis recently, so he wasn’t always in the Management Layer. However, Colette had seen him relaxing in the Management Layer earlier that day before the children returned. At that time, she had heard that he wouldn’t be returning to the House of Genesis today.
There was a Teleport Gate to the Management Layer in this house, and Miku could operate it without any problems. Upon hearing this, Miku immediately started towards the room with the Teleport Gate, but stopped and looked at Colette.
“Um… Colette, Mother? Aren’t you coming?” Seeing Miku’s hesitant look, Colette shook her head.
“I’m fine. If necessary, Kousuke or Peach will let me know.”
“Understood.” Satisfied with Colette’s answer, Miku nodded once and headed to the room with the Teleport Gate.
Watching her leave, Colette, after confirming that Seiya and Shia were not nearby, muttered softly, “Good grief. Just like Peach’s child… What kind of troublesome situation has she gotten herself into?” Colette’s words, which seemed to confirm that she herself would be involved, vanished into the air without anyone to hear them.
***
Entering the Lounge Space of the Management Layer, Miku found Kousuke and Peach there. Of course, Kouhi and Mitsuki were waiting by Kousuke’s side. Only Silvia and Floria were also present. Seeing only her father and stepmother, which was rare these days, Miku thought it was the perfect time to talk. Miku herself couldn’t judge who would be a good person to talk to.
Seeing Miku enter the Lounge Space, Kousuke looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Oh? Miku, what’s wrong?”
“Yes. I came because I wanted to talk to you and Mother about something.”
As Miku spoke, Kousuke, sensing a slightly different atmosphere, sat up and adopted a serious expression. Peach beside him also had a serious look on her face.
“Did something happen?”
“Yes—” Asked again by Kousuke, Miku began to talk about the sense of unease she had felt just before returning home, when she had discovered the food stall.
After listening to Miku’s story, Kousuke immediately looked at Peach. Miku had already received advanced training as a Succubus, so Kousuke couldn’t grasp the sensory details. In such cases, it was faster to let Peach handle the explanation.
“Miku, was that like a person’s gaze~?”
“Sorry. It was only for a moment, so I couldn’t tell…” Seeing Miku’s slightly dejected expression, Peach shook her head. If that sense of unease was surveillance from somewhere, the person who could instantly erase their presence without Miku noticing would have to be a considerable practitioner. Miku had no need to apologize.
Of course, Peach also considered the possibility that the “unease” Miku felt was just a misunderstanding. This wasn’t because Miku was immature, but because even experienced individuals could misunderstand things. After observing Miku for a while, Peach seemed to have reached a conclusion and said to Kousuke, “I’ll keep an eye on things for now~.”
“Peach? …That’s fine, but don’t you need any other help?” Kousuke asked. Peach shook her head.
“It’s not confirmed yet~. Besides, there’s something that’s bothering me.”
“Bothering you?” Kousuke, who hadn’t noticed anything from Miku’s story, looked at Peach with a puzzled tilt of his head.
Nodding towards Kousuke, Peach then looked at Miku and said, “I’m curious about the stall that Miku and the others saw~.”
“The stall? But Seiya and the others asked about it, and they didn’t find anything unusual, right?” Miku nodded vigorously to Kousuke’s question. Miku herself had found the sudden appearance of the food stall suspicious at the time, and partly as a way to divert the conversation, she had intentionally brought up the stall then. However, from what Miku had heard, there was nothing particularly suspicious about it.
To Miku, Peach said with a small smile, “I don’t think the stall owner is strange~. I just think there might be someone who influenced him.” There were many ways to guide someone to a desired location, such as pretending to be a customer and saying it’s strange that this isn’t selling, or suggesting selling it somewhere else if it’s not selling well. Peach was wondering if anything like that had happened. To find out, she would have to talk more deeply with the stall owner. However, Peach knew that asking Miku to do this would be a bit harsh. Such deductions required experience. Peach, watching Miku’s disappointed expression as she listened, thought to herself that this was how she would gain experience. Miku is very capable for her age. However, there are still areas where her experience is lacking. Even if she knows something in theory, she might not be able to connect it to practical application.
